COP1 Reflection and Evaluation

Overall, throughout the first year of context of practice 1, I have been able to work in a completely different way to the studio practical work. Although it has been quite challenging to complete 3 essays because I do not have much practice in writing about graphic design in this way, I have enjoyed researching into various books and texts to gather up the different opinions of designers and find out why they may work in a certain way. It has allowed me to take advantage of the library space within the university and has opened my eyes to all of the existing books designers have written about consumerism and branding in particular. In terms of whether I have actually enjoyed what I have written about, I don’t think I was completely happy with my choice of question once it came to writing up the essay but the further research I did the easier it became to write about. The process of context of practice has allowed me to expand on my writing skills and completing essays based on design has been interesting. I have enjoyed the COP sessions every Tuesday and thought they were really helpful and informative for when it came to my outcomes, it was a good opportunity to discuss with others and I think if we had more group critiques even about the essay questions then it would have been even more helpful to the essays and outcomes. Alongside the sessions every week, I have also enjoyed most of the lectures every Wednesday because each week the topic was different and interesting in terms of various aspects of design. I consider these important because they have informed my practice not only in COP but my studio work too as I have learnt about designs history and technology. My aims for context of practice 2 is to definitely keep on top of the work because there has been a lot to complete, however I have not felt any of this work has been rushed because I did plan out my time efficiently and there was nothing I had to complete last minute. I want to continue reading various design books and hopefully choose a slightly more interesting topic to write about next year and to continue to attend each session and lecture each week.

Studio Brief 3 - Critical reflection and proposal

Essay 3

Reflective Practice

The purpose of my visual investigation and first two essays was to explore how and why brands use celebrity endorsements within their advertisements. The quote I responded to for the first essay was a discussion about capitalism and consumerism; therefore choosing to study big corporate companies and how they advertise seemed only appropriate in response to this quote. The essays and visual response focus heavily on Pepsi as a brand, particularly how in 2012, they paid Beyoncé $50 million for a partnership deal in the hope it would expand her creative ambitions within her music career. The intention for my visual investigation was to create a set of advertisements using similar techniques of culture jamming used by Ad Busters, a form of activism that attacks large corporate businesses to tell the truth, rather than the distorted views shown to the public by these companies. It was important to consider what impact these adverts would have when presented to a consumer audience because they are the ones buying products from the company, so making them feel uncomfortable or in shock when presented with the information was a significant factor. When researching into celebrity endorsements used by companies, it was immediately made clear that consumers would be more drawn into a product if there was a celebrity on the front, ‘Branding enables us to define ourselves in terms of a shorthand that is immediately comprehensible to the world around us.’ (Olins, 2004, p27) Advertising is a way of manipulation, filled with a false sense of identity for the consumer, making this clear in the way the adverts were created would allow the individual to reconsider Pepsi’s intentions. By including typography on the advertisements it allowed the important information to become wider known by the public, the $50 million was always going to be a shocking amount to any consumer as, ‘Brands are increasingly disingenuous and duplicitous in their relentless pursuit of our money and they will stop at nothing in their overwhelming imperative to manipulate us.’ (Patterson, 2006, p215) With the play on words of Beyoncé’s Flawless song, (I woke up like this cos Pepsi paid me $50 million) it gave the adverts an interesting approach in terms of connecting with the wide audience, without them being just dull and informative. The typography used on the adverts is Futura, used by artist Barbara Kruger and the guerilla girls, not only does this like to contextual research and the visual analysis essay, it allows the advertisements to have a strong, lasting impression on passers by as bold typography is used for high impact and standing out against others. During the design process, the consideration of the target audience was always a high priority, alongside where the adverts would actually be placed. The target audience was tricky to define completely because Pepsi are a company that don’t always target a small age group, more along the lines of 18-40, with this in mind it meant there were not many limitations of the adverts contents but the inclusion of Beyoncé is more likely to catch the attention of a younger audience. This would not be considered a problem as the advertisements are designed to be on large billboards in busy cities like Leeds and London, therefore a high percentage of 18-30 year olds would pay close attention to them and look at themselves as consumers within this capitalist society. When it came to designing the initial prototypes, it was imminently clear that relying on Pepsi’s existing packaging would not be as successful as thinking outside of the box and not going for the obvious, although Ad Busters almost re-brand adverts, it was important to stay away from this and not copy their ideas otherwise it would become un-original. From the group critique exercises on the prototypes, it was suggested to include imagery from Beyoncé’s music videos or existing posters; this was an interesting approach because the main aim was to address the flaws within Pepsi, especially its advertising. However, using imagery of Beyoncé within the advertisements highlighted the fact her celebrity status was being taken advantage of in order for Pepsi to make money. Due to Beyoncé’s high celebrity status, it creates another argument that, ‘Nothing would be consumed unless the marketplace arouse and seduce consumerist desires.’ (Bauman, 1999, p395) Therefore trying to almost play on this with the advertisements created for the outcomes meant the inclusion of Beyoncé imagery will attract the attention of the public, almost forcing them to pay attention and read the adverts, playing to the ‘mainstream commercial culture’ (Olins, 2004, p207) Olins states due to brandings nature changing.

Overall, there is a clear link between each piece of work produced for this module, the initial quote allowed the theme of capitalism and consumerism to be explored 'Although on the surface the nature of design may appear to be relatively inconsequential, it might well be said to play a formative role in the history of capitalism and, in turn, in the social expression of capitalist practices.' The main theme that carries through each piece of work is how brands use celebrity endorsements within their advertising in order to create maximum profit. Through this, the exploration of consumerism within the 21^st century has played a huge part and the research into Pepsi and their advertisement strategies has been beneficial in order to back up the points being made and overall the advertisements produced. The relations of the written pieces compared to the visual outcomes are a success as they closely link ideas and research carried out into aspects like culture jamming and Ad Busters, in order for them to have maximum impact on the everyday consumer. 

Lecture 15: Recap and Link To Level 5

PROGRAMME SUMMARY:
-These lecture will inform studio practice in terms of research and practical outcomes
-Pose more questions than answers about how they actually relate

-Our job is to communicate
-We are problem solvers
-We are interested in words/language/message and meaning
-The industries expectation is that we can communicate this

What happens next..... How does this help for the future

• exploring discipline specific content
• developing individual areas of interest
• formulating research questions 
• developing practical and contextual research skills
• writing research project proposals
• research informed practice and academic writing 

Research questions to consider for Level 5...

1. What is good? 
2. To what extent do the individual politics of professional practitioners impact on the roleani function of Graphic Design
3. In an era of globalisation, to what extent do graphic design practices reflect core British values
4. To what extent do technological developments in production and distribution impact on graphic design? 
5. To what extent has graphic design constructed our understanding or view of historical events and perceptions of truth?
6. To what extent does aesthetic style reflect the context, audience and function of contemporary graphic design

Lecture 14: Introducing semiotics

-Understand the basics of semiotic theory
-Have an idea how to apply semiotic theory
-Understand the following terms: code, sign, signifier, signified, arbitrary, denotation, connotation and myth
-Understand the importance of 'meaning' in the study or art, design and culture.

CODES

- codes are found in all forms of cultural practice
- in order to make sense of cultural artefacts we need to learn and understand their codes
- we need to acknowledge that codes rely on a shared knowledge

- they have a number of units to choose from )paradigmatic dimension) which are combined by rules or conventions (syntagmatic dimension).
- all codes convey meaning
- all codes depend upon agreement and a shared cultural background
- codes perform an identifiable social or communicative function

PARADIGM

Every time we communicate we select from a paradigm. All the units in a paradigm must have something in common and each of the units in a paradigm must be clearly distinguished from the others. 
Where there is choice there is meaning, and the meaning of what was chosen is determined by the meaning of what was not. 
Types of paradigms: 
- changing shot in TV
- Typefaces
- Headgear 
- Type of cars we drive 
- Colour of front doors
- Swear words

SYNCHRONIC  
- focus on a instant
- looks at relationships ghat exist among elements of a text
- pattern of paired oppositions buried in the text 
- paradigmatic structure 
- static
- simultaneity 

DIACHRONIC
- focus on development
- looks at the way narrative evolves
- chain of events
- syntagmatic structure 
- succession

Lecture 13: Design and Modernism

Modernism emerges out of the subjective responses of modernity.

MODERNIsM IN DESIGN:
1. Anti-Historicism
2. Truth to Materials
3. Form follows function
4. Technology
5. Internationalism- neutral but universal language/utopian hope to bring the world together

Bauhaus style cutlery- Ikea now have very similar style designs
They weren't trendy or decorative

 Anti-historicism–no need to look backward to older styles

“Ornament is crime” – Adolf Loos (1908)

INTERNATIONALISM
- A language of design that could be recognised by any country e.g Harry Beck's London Underground Map created in 1933.

Russian revolution 1917-1936- invented a visual language thats anti-historical and forward looking

Stepanova & Popova: 

VKhUTEMAS- Progressive Art School

They were kust like the Bauhaus but soveit

Lecture 12: Postmodernism

The Postmodern condition is characterised by:

• exhaustion
• pluralism
• pessimism
• disillusionment with the idea of absolute knowledge

• Postmodernism has an attitude of questioning conventions (especially those set out by Modernism)
• Postmodern aesthetic = multiplicity of styes and approaches
• Space for ’new voices’

Uses of the term ‘postmodernism’:

• after modernism
• the historical era following the modern
• contra modernism 
• equivalent to ‘late capitalism’ (jameson)
• artistic an stylistic eclecticism
• ‘global village’ phenomena: globalisation of cultures, reaches, images, capital, products

J-F Lyotard ‘The Postmodern'

Modern Movement (dominant post war): • Simplified aesthetic
• Utopian ideals
• Truth to materials

Condition’ 1979

• ‘Incredulity towards metanarratives’

• Metanarratives = totalising belief systems

•Result – Crisis in confidence 

Robert Venturi

‘I like elements which are hybrid rather than ‘pure’, compromising rather than ‘clean’, distorted rather than ‘straight-forward’, ambiguous rather than ‘articulated’, perverse as well as impersonal' 

'Generally post-modern artists like to mix the highbrow and the populist, the alienating and the accessible, and to ‘sample’ elements from different styles and eras....’ 

Lecture 11: Colour Theory 2

Subjective colour= colour and contrast
This is the idea of something being a colour therefore it becomes problematic

ADDITIVE COLOUR= LIGHT
RGD primaries; CRT Monitors

SUBTRACTIVE COLOUR 
CMY primaries; film; prints 

SUBJECTIVE COLOUR
Johannes Itten- The Art Of Colour
Josef Albers- Interaction Of Colour- mixing of pigments and inks that were created before colour t.v 

Chromatic value= hue + tone + saturation

CONTRAST OF HUE
Greater the distance between hues on a colour wheel.
Isolated colour on white and black backgrounds give more readable and unreadable colours 

SATURATION
Juxtaposition of light and dark values and relative saturation.
The ways we define colour.

CONTRAST OF EXTENSION
Yellow+violet= different amount of colour available in any field.
Dark and bright- the brighter the colour the more noticeable

CONTRAST OF TEMPERATURE
Physiological sense that blue is a cool colour

COMPLEMENTARY CONTRAST
High contrast of black and white.
When colours go together it is known as colour harmonies

SIMULTANIOUS CONTRAST
Formed when boundaries between colour perceptions

Lecture 10: Colour Theory 1

• Spectral colour is a colour that is evoked by a single wavelength of light within a visible spectrum.
• A single wavelength, or narrow band of wavelengths generates monochromatic light.
• Every wavelength of light is perceived as a spectral colour in a continuous spectrum.
• The colours of similar or sufficiently close wavelengths are often indistinguishable by the human eye. 

Our perception of any colour is based on the eye receiving light that has been reflected from a surface or an object. 

The eye contains two kinds of receptors:

Rods convey shades of black, white and grey. Cones all the brain to perceive colour.

Types fo cones:

1. sensitive to the red-orange light

2. sensitive to green light

3. sensitive to blue-violet light

When a single cone is stimulated, the brain perceives the corresponding colour.

Because of this physiological response, the eye can be "fooled" into seeing the full range of visible colors through the proportionate adjustment of just three colours: RED, GREEN AND BLUE

• If our green cones are stimulated, we see "green".
• If our red-orange cones are stimulated, we see "red".
• If both our green and red-orange cones are simultaneously stimulated, our perception is “yellow”. 

Spectral colour

The eye cannot differentiate between spectral yellow, and some combination of red and green. The same effect accounts for our perception of cyan, magenta, and the other in-between spectral colours. 

Colour mode

Red, green and blue = relates to light

RGB - anything screen based

CMYK - anything printed

Chromatic values - hue, tone and saturation 

Lecture 9: Consumerism - Persuasion, Society, Brand, Culture

Sigmund Freud

1856-1939

• Psychoanalysis – method of treatment
• Constantly repressed for the sake of keeping a civilised society. We don’t do the things that we want, we do what we think is right and will keep people happy.
• The conscious mind = tip of giant iceberg
• Fundamental tension between civilisation and the individual. We must suppress our animalistic instincts to maintain a level of civilisation.

Edward Bernays

1891-1995

• Press Agent
• Employed by public information during WW1
• Post war- set up ‘The Council on Public Relations’
• Birth of PR
• Based on the ideas of Freud (his uncle).
• Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923)
• Propaganda (1928) 

Marketing hidden needs

• Sellin gego-gratification
  
• Selling Creative Outlets
  
• Selling Love Objects
  
• Selling sense of power
  
• Selling a sense of roots
  

Selling immortality 

• Consumerism is an ideological project
• We believe that through consumption our desires can be met

• The Consumer Self
• The legacy of Bernays / PR can be felt in all aspects of

C21st society

•  The conflicts between alternative models of social organisation continue to this day.
•  To what extent are our lives ‘free’ under the Western Consumerist system? 

Lecture 8: What Is Research?

Experiential learning:

• Knowledge
• Analysis
• Comprehension
• Application
• Evaluation 
• Synthesis

Process is more important than outcome:

• “When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there”
• Without research, you will only ever do what you can already do and there will be no new ideas and development within the design industry. 
• We are problem solvers – form of research

Types of Research:

• PRIMARY RESEARCH – developed and collected for a specific end use, data that does not exist yet.
• SECONDARY RESEARCH – published or recorded data that already exists but we can then analyse the material and use it to enrich our output.
• QUANTATIVE RESEARCH – numerical data or data that can be converted into numbers. The gathering and analysing of measurable data. Research that is objective and relies on statistical analysis, such as surveys.
• QUALITATIVE RESEARCH – observation, opinion and interacting with people and finding out what they think. Research is involved in quality and the information gathered is not statistical, but gives an idea about the perceptions or views. Subjective?

Lecture 7: Digital Production and Distribution

Digital revolution is far more significant than the invention of type and printing.

"We shape our tools and then our tools shape us" 
Marshall McLuhan 1911-1980

Before we were dependant on technology, he believed to fully grasp the impact of new technology we must examine figure and ground together as neither are completely indelible without the other. We must study media.

EVOLUTION OF THE iMAC
A celebration of the way we develop new technologies

There are 4 different elements to develop in terms of technologies and use

1. What happens when you break it
2. Low priced and more classic meant designers had access to low cost equipment
3. Allowed you to make mistakes and delete them- allowed people to explore new ways in working (font and colour)
4. Got rid of traditional graphic design methods

NOSTALGIA vs INNOVATION
e.g Paddington Bear, there isn't much visual difference but there is a lot of technological difference. It went from physical to digital

Film impacts on the digital works and how we look at it and she the way industries look at products.

THE MECHANICAL AESTHETIC
Always been seen as 'the future', it has an industrial look

THE TECHNOLOGICAL AESTHETIC
If if was desirable then it had to have an 'i' infront of it

Lecture 6: Print Culture 2

Today we live in the late age of print now where there has been a noticeable return to handmade and mechanical production. This may be because they are of high quality, but there are more reliable, quicker and easier methods that could be used; so why? 

The age of print came about in approximately 1450.

SLOW MOVEMENT AND SLOW FOOD:

In a world where so much happens through computer screens, making a meal by hand, touching the raw materials, feeling your way through a recipe, tasting, adjusting, engaging all the senses, can be a soothing release.

Everywhere, people are discovering that doing things more slowly often means doing them better and enjoying them more. It means living life instead of rushing through it. You can apply this to everything from food to parenting to work. 

Our obsession with speed, with cramming more and more into every minute, means that we race through life instead of actually living it. Our health, diet and relationships suffer. We make mistakes at work. We struggle to relax, to enjoy the moment, even to get a decent night's sleep.

You don't have to work for Google, or any of the other firms encouraging staff to pursue personal projects on company time, to use slowness to unlock your creativity. Anyone can do it. Start by clearing space in your schedule for rest, daydreaming and serendipity. Take breaks away from your desk, especially when you get stuck on a problem. 

FAST FASHION: 

'Cheap top' can be traded in mass amounts as there are new styles each season, the styles are copied straight from the catwalk .

POST PRINT CULTURE:

Art work has more depth and meaning when created with these traditional print methods.

Study Task 08 - SB2 - 6. Outcomes